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Statistics on the size, composition, contribution, and other dimensions of the informal economy are needed to inform economic and social policies. Until recently only limited data have been available on informal employment and the informal economy.

Statistics on the Informal Economy

Analysis of informal employment and informal workers is a new area of statistical development. This section of the website examines the available data, as well as the concepts, definitions and methods that underpin this growing area of investigation.

The Development of Statistics on the Informal Economy

Developing Concepts and Definitions

At the 1991 International Labour Conference, the informal sector was a topic for tripartite debate. This was the first time the informal sector was featured as a major agenda item in an international conference. In 1992, the ILO Bureau of Statistics prepared a report called “Statistics on Employment in the Informal Sector” as the basis for discussion at the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) the following year.

This section of the website provides interested users of statistics on informal employment with information to maximize the use of available data and to begin discussions with producers of these statistics to better meet their data needs. Dialogue and collaboration between statisticians and users of statistics is key to producing timely data that informs policy. (See, for example, "Improving statistics on informal employment in India: the role of users.")

Finding reliable data on the size of the street vending population in any given city can be challenging. Official statistics on street vendors are available only in a few countries. The box below explains.

The contribution of economic activities in the informal sector to total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Gross Value Added (GVA) provides a key indicator for measuring not only the performance of the informal economy but also the economy as a whole.

The following recent WIEGO and WIEGO-related publications provide data on informal employment and employment in the informal sector, as well as information on measurement methods relating to these concepts.